


coming back - coming home

by buggiesreign



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, Five Year Time Jump, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Reminiscing, Self-Harm, bughead - Freeform, jugehad jones is a successful writer, jughead and veronica friendship, slowburn, will add more tags as I think of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24072850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buggiesreign/pseuds/buggiesreign
Summary: Five years after Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Archie had split, due to the betrayal Jughead and Veronica had been put through, by Archie and Betty, they all get a call, that brings them back to Riverdale. And for the first time in five years, Jughead has to face his demons, his past and her, again.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Original Female Character(s), Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller, Veronica Lodge/Reggie Mantle
Comments: 5
Kudos: 109





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first long fanfiction and I hope you all enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoy writing it.
> 
> Warnings: There will be mentions of depression, self harm, PTSD and other mental health issues.
> 
> Also huge thank you to everyone who has read this in advanced and helped me perfect this chapter.  
> Please excuse any spelling errors, if there are some.

It was a shock to all of us when the call came – the call, that would bring us all back.  
Back to a town, that a lot of us turned their backs on years ago. Riverdale.

I hadn’t been there, since that day – the day Veronica Lodge and I learned of the betrayal, brought to us by the hands of our loved ones. 

There was a huge fight, multiple huge fights, between friends, between couples, between people that loved each other, people that trusted one another, when they shouldn’t have.

After hours of fighting, when everything was calm and quiet, I packed my bags and I left. No goodbyes, no looking back.  
That was the last time I was in that god forsaken town and I never intended to come back.

During holidays Jellybean and dad often came over to celebrate, knowing I wouldn’t come home no matter how hard they tried or how convincing their arguments may have been. I didn’t ever surrender. I stayed away, like I promised myself I would.

Regardless of my promise, I kept in touch with a few people from my past and made sure to contact them whenever I had a free minute, which truthfully, didn’t happen too often.

Veronica left a few days after me and gave me a call, asking if I had any plans of where to stay until college started. I moved into her New York city apartment two days later and she turned out to be a much better roommate than I thought.

I never expected to actually consider Veronica a friend and cherish that friendship, as much as I do, but after all the things that went down, she was the only one who actually understood what it felt like. 

We helped each other through a lot. Confided in one another, trusted one another. She was a great friend, a friend who I knew would never put me through what they put me through. 

Then again, I never let myself get as attached to anyone again. I never trusted the way I did before. I couldn’t bring myself to. Not even with Veronica or other close friends. I couldn’t let that guard down – a guard that had been there before, one that had been up, for many years, only for her to break it down piece by piece.

And now she was the reason I had to put it back up. Truthfully, it was so easy for me to close off again, after what happened. To not trust and push everyone away. It almost scared me, how easily the walls came back up.

But that wasn’t even the worst part. 

The worst part was the loneliness, the emptiness, the despair, that came from closing off. I couldn’t handle it; I couldn’t handle my own emotions and it took over – my emotions took over. 

I started drinking. I hate to admit that, but it is what happened. There was a bar near Veronicas apartment, and it seemed nice enough. One night I walked in and ordered a beer, to calm down, to relax. Just one. 

But as my visits to the bar got more frequent, so did the beer consumption. I ordered more and more. It helped. It drowned out everything; the pain, the despair, even the emptiness. I was fine, when I was drunk. At least that’s what I thought and what it felt like, in the moment.

I would get wasted there and go back home, sleep it off and repeat it. It was a cycle.

And I don’t know if it would’ve stopped without Veronica and Toni’s help. Veronica caught on pretty quickly and tried talking to me, helping me, but I wouldn’t have it. I continued what I was doing. I didn’t care. 

I didn’t care that I sometimes came home, not even knowing how to unlock the door. I didn’t care that many nights ended in me slouched over the toilet. I didn’t care that waking up felt like hell. I didn’t care, because I knew that it would be ‘okay’ again, once I’m back at the bar.

But luckily Veronica cared. But she knew she needed help to get me out of that vicious cycle. So, she called Toni for backup.

Toni arrived a day later, knowing it was important, and they came down to the bar. Toni slapped me across the face and told me that this was not the way to cope. I knew it wasn’t, but it felt so easy. Toni and Veronica however weren’t having it and helped me through it.

It was hard. It was hard to stop. I felt terrible for a few days. Mainly because I let it get that far. I knew drinking was not a way to cope. I knew it only caused pain and damage. I knew it from first hand experience. And I was embarrassed, that I fell so low. But I got out of it. 

I sobered up, with Veronica and Toni’s help, and got my life together.  
That was at the end of summer. It felt like my life had been on hold for three months and now it started up again and I was supposed to leave for college.

I did. I went to the university of Iowa and college helped a lot. I kept in touch with Veronica, of course, as well as Toni and the other serpents. But still never went back to visit. Not once.

University was fun, it was easy. It helped me get my life back together. University was so different from high school. Suddenly people were impressed by my love for books, they wanted to hear my thoughts and interpretations. It was amazing.

I met a few people, who I consider sort of friends, in a way. Not like Veronica or Toni, but people that I got along with. We hung out, sometimes. It was still a strange feeling – hanging out. I was never the guy for that, but from time to time I agreed to come with them.

I met them through my roommate Matt. He was a nice guy and so were his friends. I kind of slipped into their circle and that was good. I didn’t mind having these people in my life, even though I knew they wouldn’t stay in it, after college.

When I wasn’t working on college essays or hanging out, I wrote my novel. I never gave up on it and turns out, that was a good call.

One of my professors particularly liked my writing and asked if I had more – I showed him my novel. 

He immediately sent it to a publishing company and they loved it. My first novel was published a few months later. The second following not too long after. And now I’m currently working on the third. Veronica dealt with all the contracts, considering she was studying law and getting a business degree, at the same time, while managing her businesses.

She was making a name for herself, even ending up in some magazines as ‘New face to look out for’ or something like that. She was doing good. There was even an article speculating if her and I were together, after we were photographed at dinner.

We were actually there to celebrate my publishing deal and her expanding her business, but we got a good laugh out of the article, from that trashy magazine. As close as we were, it was friendship. We both knew that.  
Overall, life was good. It went well. I had people, that I counted on, as hard as that was after what happened and my career was doing great. People loved the books. I had overcome my problem and was working on overcoming the feelings of pain and emptiness.

But there was one thing Veronica wasn’t happy with. “You need to get back into the dating life. You’re an attractive 21-year-old”. I knew she had a point. I hadn’t properly dated anyone in three years. 

I’m not saying I was completely celibate; I wasn’t. I had sex. I just didn’t want anything official. No strings attached. It was easier.

But after Veronicas hundredth attempt, I gave in and agreed to go on a date, that wouldn’t end in bed. The girl was nice enough and we hit it off. It worked well for a while; 5 months to be exact. I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t go further.

We hadn’t really made it official, but neither of us saw other people, so it was pretty clear we were. We broke up, when she told me she thought she fell in love and I couldn’t say it back. It would’ve been a lie, because I didn’t feel it. And suddenly the attachment of a relationship got too much. I told her that and we broke it off.

I lied – I knew what it was.  
It was her. It always was. Even after all this time. 

Not to mention, I wasn’t ready to trust again. Some scars just sit deep and I couldn’t imagine giving myself completely to someone again. It hurt. It hurt to know, that after three and a half years I still couldn’t stop thinking about it – about her.

I tried dating again, about 6 months later, but it didn’t go anywhere, so I just stopped trying and continued meaningless one-night stands. They were, like I said, easier.

I finished college about a year ago now. Who would’ve thought I’d actually miss some of it, but after four years of the same people, the same schedule, the same places, you grow attached, even though I tried not to.

After college, I moved back to New York, this time into an apartment of my own. It was the perfect place for me, with my publishing firm located there. It felt like the perfect city for me, the place I was meant to be.

After college I stopped hanging out with the people I met from college, just as suspected. It wasn’t necessarily because I disliked them, I just didn’t see a reason to stay in touch with them. We were friendly enough during college, but it never went further than that.

Life was still good. I didn’t mind not having a girlfriend. I had great friends and my career was still doing good. I was at a point where I was able to say life was good. 

Of course, the scars were still there, the trust issues were still there and the pain got really bad at times, even after five years. And there were things that haunted me. Things I didn’t even mention to Veronica and Toni. Things that I wanted to stop, but they never did. But still, even with all that, life overall was good.

Until that night.  
The night we all got the call.

It was about 3 am, when I was woken up from my dream – a dream I had so many times. A voice, sweet and soft, whispering loving promises in my ear, promises of forever. And those eyes. Hauntingly beautiful, green eyes. 

I was jolted awake, by the phone ringing, my body slick with sweat and my breathing heavy. I took a deep breath and focused on the ringing for a moment, before grabbing the device it came from and picking up the call, from an unknown number.

It was the call bringing us all back to that god forsaken town, Riverdale.


	2. coming back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead Jones is back in Riverdale and feels like a stranger, in a town he once called home...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please ignore any typos or mistakes. Thank you.  
> And sorry that I am a day late, but enjoy this chapter.

The first thing Jughead Jones felt, when getting off the bus, was odd.  
Being back in Riverdale, after all these years, was odd.

He had been on the road for the last two hours, most of that time spent on the bus, but it – the reason he came back – hadn’t really sunk in yet. He saw the sign, reading ‘Welcome to Riverdale, the town with pep’ and found himself muttering what bullshit statement that was.

But it didn’t really hit him, it didn’t feel like he was going back. Not until he stepped off the bus and his foot hit the concrete beneath him. He was back in Riverdale and suddenly everything shifted. Everything felt different, the air sucked out of his lungs, as he took in his surroundings.

He opted for a simple black t-shirt and black jeans, paired with his combat boots, as it wasn’t a particularly cold September day. He couldn’t help but think back to the boy he once was, always wearing his Serpent jacket and his beanie. He hadn’t been that boy in a long time. 

He dropped his bag on the bench of the bus stop and took another look around. Nothing had changed – not that he was surprised about that. Riverdale was never the town that would change a lot, no matter how many years you’d stay away. But he had changed, a lot, and it didn’t feel like home anymore, to be in this spot – the same spot he was in, the day he left.

He took a deep breath, a lot of thoughts running through his head. There were mostly memories, memories of better times, memories of happier times, now forever clouded by the events that led to his departure. He tried blocking them out, tried to forget those memories, but never could and now he was back, unable to not think about it.

He also felt unprepared, unsure. He had no idea what it would be like to be back, to face the people he had left long ago, without a goodbye. He didn’t know if he was ready to see them. If he was ready to see her. And a part of him, even though he would never admit that, was scared. He was scared to see her and face her after all these years.

Deciding that he was not yet ready to face them and this entire situation, he picked up his bag and made his way to Pop’s, trying to shut off his mind for the time being.

Jughead saw the neon sign first, the same sign Pop’s always had, and a small smile spread on his face, as he remembered the countless sleepless nights he had spent, sitting in a booth and writing. But there was this small voice reminding him, that even those memories were tainted now, as he hadn’t always been alone during said nights. He closed his eyes, trying to think straight.

And once again hauntingly beautiful green eyes flashed before his.

He gave himself a mental shake and made his way towards the diner, the same bell chiming, when he stepped inside. He wasn’t surprised to see none other than Pop Tate lift his head and look at him. The smell was the same, the feeling was the same and Pop was the same.

It amazed him, how even after all these years Pop’s managed to stay the same – warm and welcoming, despite the trauma this town put him through.

“Hi Pop,” he said, the older man smiling back at him. Pop had always had a soft spot for Jughead and he knew it. Jughead had come into this diner all too often, upset and in need of a burger and Pop had always given him one, whether Jughead could afford it or not.

Pop walked around the small counter and embraced Jughead in a hug, Jugheads arms going around Pop as well. He knew this wasn’t Pop being sentimental about seeing him again – it was his way of comforting Jughead, about a situation he wasn’t ready to face yet.

“Sit, let me get you your usual,” Pop said, hurrying back behind the counter, as Jughead made his way to a booth and sat down, his bag dropped next to him on the bench. He looked around the diner, memories once again flooding his mind.

His favorite memory was when she opened up to him about her dark side, about her self harm. It was a display of trust, and while he felt terrible about her needing that sort of release and being unable to take the pain away from her, he felt like their relationship had taken a step further.

She showed him something that scared even her and he accepted it, without second thought, just like she had accepted his demons, only weeks before. He knew her well enough to know that it wasn’t easy for her to tell him, but she did. She did it.

His gaze landed on the booth they had sat in that night, a frown setting on his face, as he looked at it and thought of that moment and the way she trusted him. Was it all a lie? He asked himself that a lot. Was all of this a lie? A distraction?

As his eyes examined the booth – their booth, if you will – he thought back to another shared moment, when the black hood murders were happening, they had met in this booth, talking about running away together. Why didn’t they? Would it still have ended this way? Could they have made it, together, if they were in a different town? More and more questions flooding his mind.

But the most painful memories, where those of all of them together. Archie, Veronica, him and her.

They had shared a booth, more times than he could count, laughing, celebrating, sometimes crying. But it was them. Together. Until it was ruined. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, willing the memories to go away again, as Pop put a plate in front of him. Two cheeseburgers, with fries on the side and a chocolate milkshake – his favorite.

Jughead smiled at Pop, before he reached into his pocket, wanting to pay Pop, but the elder man, just shook his head and said, “It’s on the house.” He then walked back behind the counter and Jughead turned to his food, devouring it.

All too soon he was finished with his food and didn’t know how long he could drag his stay here out. He didn’t want to face things yet, didn’t want to go back to that house, but he had to, right?

No, not yet anyway.   
He got up and smiled at Pop again, as he made his way towards the exit of the diner, travel bag in hand. “I’ll see you around, Pop,” he said and Pop nodded with a smile, before Jughead left the diner and walked towards the southside of Riverdale, instead of elm street.

Once again he took in his surroundings, looking at the streets, the houses, the town he once called home. Nothing had changed, it all looked exactly the same. But it felt so different. Jughead had once considered Riverdale his home, but that was no more. Now it felt like a town, he once thought he knew like the back of his hand, but it turned out to be untrue.

Not long after leaving Pop’s, he found himself in front of the whtye wyrm, another place that held great significance to him. 

He opened the door and walked inside, knowing it was still too early for them to be open, but also knowing that someone was already here and preparing for later. He stepped into the bar, his eyes adjusting to his, now, way darker surroundings. 

And for the hundredth time today he was amazed at how little Riverdale changed.

“Jones?” a voice asked and only moments later Sweet Pea stepped out of the kitchen and walked towards Jughead, before embracing him in a hug, which Jughead returned immediately, his bag dropped on the floor.

Sweet Pea and Jughead weren’t always the closest friends, especially in the beginning. But after Jughead left Riverdale Sweet Pea was one of the first people to reach out and ask if he needed anything. And now, five years later, he considered Sweet Pea one of his best friends.

They both pulled away, as Sweet Pea began talking. “Listen, I’m sorry abo-“

“Don’t,” Jughead interrupted, not wanting his friend to finish the sentence, knowing exactly where it went and Sweet Pea nodded understandingly.

“Beer?” Pea asked and this time it was Jugheads time to nod, as he sat down at the bar. He didn’t drink often, especially not when he felt upset or sad, but from time to time he did, when he was in good company. But he never let it get out of hand.

A few moments later they were both sitting at the bar, beer in hand.

“This place hasn’t changed one bit,” Jughead commented, making Pea chuckle and look around.

“Did you think it would?”

“Not at all, no. It’s just crazy to me, how things can stay the same for so many years. New York is so fast paced and there’s something new, every day, around every corner. Riverdale on the other hand is so vastly different,” Jughead explained, before taking a sip of his beer.

“Tell me more about New York.”

The two men started talking about New York, the Serpents and whatever other topic they could think of, while emptying three beers each, which got neither of them even remotely drunk, especially considering Jughead just ate and they both weren’t lightweights – quite the opposite.

“I should probably get going,” Jughead said, as he put down his third beer, two hours later and got up. He picked up his bag, as Pea got up as well, grabbing the empty bottles and walking behind the bar to throw them out.

“Are you going to see them now?” Pea asked, obviously referring to the family living in that house on elm street, but Jughead shook his head.

“I have one more stop to make, before going there.”

“Well, I’ll see you around. Call if you need anything,” Pea offered.

“Thanks. See you around.” 

And with that Jughead was out the door and on his way again, this time not looking around, not reminiscing, but walking straight to Thistlehouse.

He was panting slightly, having walked unnecessarily fast, when he arrived at the mansion of none other than Cheryl Blossom and looked up at the huge building in front of him. Toni had invited him to come stay here a few times, over spring break or other holidays, but he declined, not wanting to risk to run into anyone.

He knocked on the door, it opening only a moment later and he was face to face with Cheryl, who had a curious, but surprised expression on her face.

“To what do we owe the pleasure? I thought you’d be at the Cooper household,” she said and Jughead nodded slowly, not surprised that Cheryl didn’t sugarcoat anything. “I’m not ready yet,” he answered truthfully and a slightly more sympathetic look took over Cheryls features. 

Cheryl was another one of those people, he had never been close to during his time in Riverdale, but who he got closer with after. The thought almost made him laugh. Him and Cheryl friends of sorts. It took them a while and a lot of it was Tonis doing, but they could both say they were civil and maybe even liked each other to some extent.

Cheryl knew what betrayal felt like and she knew how much betrayal hurt, making her very understanding and surprisingly good at giving advice. She had given advice any chance she got, even if it was unasked of and usually her advice didn’t fail him.

“Come on in. Toni is just editing some pictures, but should be down shortly,” she explained, stepping aside from the door and letting him walk inside.

Jughead nodded at her words, thinking of Tonis photography business that she opened up after college, with Cheryl helping her wherever she could. He wasn’t sure if the two of them would stay in Riverdale, but they seemed to be happy here and business worked well for both of them, which in turn made Jughead happy for them.

“Do you want anything?” Cheryl asked, as they made their way into the living room. Jughead sat down on her couch and looked up at her. “Some water will be fine.”

Cheryl rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen, as Jughead leaned back.

Thistlehouse hadn’t changed much, but he could tell it wasn’t the same anymore. He could see Tonis touch in some of the decorative choices and something told him, they would renovate after the wedding and honeymoon.

Cheryl came back into the living space, interrupting his thoughts, two glasses of coke in hand, hers presumably a cherry coke. “I know you didn’t just want a water,” she said, handing him his glass and Jughead smiled slightly. 

“Thank you.”

He took a sip of the drink and tried to figure out what to say next, when Cheryl spoke up.

“I’m really sorry, Jughead. I know this can’t be easy. Coming back … and for that reason. And on top of it all facing things you weren’t yet ready to face.”

Jughead stayed quiet for a moment, letting Cheryls words sink in. She was right, he wasn’t ready to face things yet, but this situation left him no choice. He had to.

“Thank you. I have to do it sooner or later anyway. It’s just a little sooner than expected.”

“If you need anything, just let me know. Or let Toni know. Or both of us.”

Jughead was about to answer, when another voice spoke up, from atop of the stairs. “Babe, did I hear you say my name?” she asked and soon after was in the room with them.

“Jug!” Toni exclaimed and walked over to him. She threw herself at him, just as he got up and hugged him, which he happily returned.

“You’re here. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at-“ she spoke, but stopped herself and pulled back from their hug to look at him. “You’re not ready, yet, right?”

“No, I’m not. And I thought I could come over, talk to you guys a bit and then make my way there.”

“Of course,” she nodded and took a seat on the couch, beside him, while Cheryl stayed on the other couch, letting Jughead and Toni catch up.

“So how are things?” Jughead asked, still a little awkward with social interactions. 

“Good, for the most part. We’re doing good and business is going great. Cheryl is busy planning the wedding, which we will probably postpone a bit, now that..” she said, trailing off. “But overall, things are going good.”

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear that.”

“Jug, what’s up? Talk to me.” Jughead looked at his best friend and sighed softly.

“I just can’t believe I had to come back, because of this. I didn’t expect this to happen, not so soon. I didn’t even think it was in any near future scenario. But it happened and now I’m back here. I didn’t want to come back yet. I didn’t want to face all of this yet.”

“I know and I’m really sorry. I can’t imagine how overwhelming all of this must feel to you, but I’m here for you, with anything,” Toni promised and Jughead smiled slightly at her, with a nod.

“Might I chime in?” Cheryl asked and both Toni and Jughead turned to her.

“Maybe it is time to face your past, to face the pain. I learned that nothing happens randomly. As cruel as this world may be and seem, there’s always a reason for things to happen, even if you can’t see them right away. No offence, but I don’t think you would’ve ever come back here, to face your demons, if it weren’t for this situation. Maybe the universe thinks it’s time.”

As crazy as Cheryl sounded saying all this, a lot of it made sense to Jughead. Cheryl had experienced loss a lot in her life and if she was ready to say there was always a bigger picture behind everything, who was he to deny that? Her advice once again helped him immensely.

“You really think so?” he asked, knowing she did, but the sceptic in him had to make sure, nonetheless.

“I do. I think this is the universe telling you to face it all,” she replied, her voice soft, but sure and sincere, making him think it was time to go to that house again. Cheryl gave him a slight smile and nodded, almost as if he could read his thoughts.

“Yeah, maybe it’s time,” he nodded and got up, Cheryl and Toni doing the same as well.

Toni hugged him again and Jughead gave her and Cheryl a soft smile before walking out of Thistlehouse, leaving the two to continue what they were doing before.

He took a deep breath and began walking towards Elm street. He knew it wouldn’t be a long walk, but he used every second of it, to think, his mind once again running wild.

He hadn’t thought of the possibility that the universe was trying to nudge him in this direction, but now couldn’t think of anything other than that. 

Five years were a long time and he did have a lot of space and time to think about everything that had happened, but he was never able to move on and let go, which frustrated him quite a bit. Why wasn’t he able to move on? He had wondered that one too many times, for his liking.

Maybe, just maybe, he needed to see her again to get closure. Maybe the universe did bring him back here to get that closure, to finally be able to move on, not having to look back ever again.

He wondered what it would be like, to see her again after all these years.

He barely knew anything about her life these days. He knew she graduated Yale, even though it took her a year longer than expected. He was shocked when he heard that Betty didn’t graduate in the usual time frame people needed, but took a year longer to do so. What happened?

He also knew that she stayed in Bridgeport, a place about 30 minutes from New Haven, which again confused him, since she had always dreamed of living and working in a big city. He knew there was a story behind it all, but never was interested enough to ask, or rather scared to hear the reason, if he was being honest.

But that about covered everything he knew about Bettys current life.  
And he had a million questions, that he didn’t want to have, but nonetheless did.

He didn’t want to think of her, didn’t want to focus on her. It hurt to remember her and knowing he didn’t know who she was these days and probably never will know who she is nowadays.

And the worst moments were those when that small voice in his head reminded him that a part of him never really knew the old her either, because if you would’ve asked him if Betty was trustworthy and loyal, he would’ve said yes in a heartbeat.

Now he was back and knew even less. And it bothered him. And it bothered him, to know it bothered him.

He looked up then and saw Archies house, stopping in his tracks immediately. He didn’t know if Archie still lived in Riverdale. Toni and Cheryl knew not to mention either him or Betty, whenever they met and he had no clue what Archie did after the naval academy, or if he even went.

Or maybe he followed Betty to Yale and is living with her now. There it was again, that voice in his head. He could’ve slapped himself for these thoughts, especially because he didn’t want to care about those things.

Jughead averted his eyes from the house again and took a deep breath. He didn’t want memories, of him sleeping there when it got tough at home or of him and Archie playing video games together, to flood his mind. Instead he continued walking to the house next to it.

And here it was. 

It still looked the same, like everything else in Riverdale, and it hurt to feel like a stranger in a place he once called home. He didn’t belong here anymore and he knew it.

He tried to prepare himself for what he was about to face when he stepped into the house. He knew who was inside at the time – Alice, Jellybean and her. There was no way around facing her, once he was inside and he needed a moment to get ready for that.

Not to mention the horrific reason he was here for. A lot was going through his head, once again, and he wished he could turn his thinker off, in situations like these. But he couldn’t.

Would she even care that he’s here?  
Had she moved on?  
Did she still think about him?  
Did he haunt her dreams?  
Were her feelings for him gone?  
Were they ever real?

Jughead shook his head and gave himself a mental slap, a long sigh leaving his lips. “Stop it,” he whispered to himself and lifted his hand to knock on the door. It was now or never.

The door opened a few moments later and he was face to face with Alice Smith herself.

She wore a black dress, a dark blue cardigan and paired the outfit with black pumps. But the most noticeable thing about her appearance were the black streaks of tears down her cheeks and Jughead swallowed when he saw the despair in her eyes.

“Hello Jughead. Come in,” she said, her voice weak and barely audible. It was almost scary to see Alice Smith this distraught and worked up. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her cry. Jughead just gave a small smile, as a form of greeting and stepped into the house, as Alice stepped away from the door.

He closed the door behind him and registering that Alice had gone back to the couch and had sat down again. But he didn’t dare look in that direction. Not now.

He turned around and small arms suddenly wrapped around him tightly and he felt tears against his neck. Jellybean was crying on his shoulder and it took Jughead a moment to react, but he quickly caught on and wrapped his arms around his sister and held her against him.

Jellybean had changed a lot in the last few years, she was obviously older and taller and more mature, but still way cooler than Jughead would ever be. She was a senior now and should be having the time of her life.

But, instead of celebrating, she was crying on his shoulder because of what happened. Jughead once again wondered why he wasn’t capable of crying and why his reaction to the call was shock and a sort of numbness, instead of the sadness, he had expected.

Jughead had his eyes closed as he brought his mind back to this moment and thought of what to say. What could you say in a situation like this, to make someone feel better? Nothing, right?

He felt at a loss for words, which didn’t happen often. His mind was running and his arms were tightening around his sister, but nothing came out of his mouth. He prayed something would come to him, but apparently no one heard that prayer.

“I’m glad you came,” Jellybean whispered against his neck, knowing his apprehension with coming back to Riverdale and he let out a long breath and whispered back, “Of course, Jelly.”

Jellybean pulled back then and he got a good look at his sister, who was wearing a black overall with red converse and a red bandana, her hair in two braids, a hairstyle she wore a lot, he noticed. Her cheeks were stained with tears too, but not black, as Jellybean wore no make-up.

There was so much pain and despair in the air, it was hard to breathe and yet he couldn’t find that sadness in himself. He still felt numb. He didn’t feel his own sadness, he only felt his sisters and Alice. He wondered why, but couldn’t find an answer. He felt bad, terrible even, for not feeling it, when everyone else did.

He could feel all eyes in the room on his, as his gaze dropped to the floor. He didn’t dare look up, but he knew all three were looking at him and waiting. But what were they waiting for. 

And then there she was.

“Hi Jug.”

The same voice he had heard in his dreams, over and over, sweet and soft. Now she was in the same room with him and speaking to him and he quietly took a deep breath, before looking up and in her direction.

There she sat, looking at him with those hauntingly beautiful, green eyes.  
Betty Cooper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it and enjoyed seeing Jughead come back and start to face some of his demons. Obviously we'll get way more into that, in future chapters.  
> As always, thank you for reading and feedback is appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter.  
> I'd appreciate feedback and to hear your thoughts.
> 
> I'll try to update this as much as possible. (Hopefully, at least once a week.)


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